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Head-to-head · Best Blackout Curtains

Amazon Basics Room Darkening Blackout vs Sun Zero Oslo Theater Grade Extreme 100% Blackout Rod Pocket Curtain Panel

Which is the better buy? Side-by-side on rating, price, strengths, and watch-outs — with the published ratings we averaged to get there.

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The short answer

Amazon Basics Room Darkening Blackout comes out ahead by a clear margin (4.3 vs 4.0). Amazon Basics Room Darkening Blackout is best for: Budget shoppers who want the best-tested light blocking for the lowest price and do not need decorative styling or a wide color range. Read the strengths below before deciding.

Amazon Basics Room Darkening Blackout
Higher ratedRanked #2 in Best Blackout Curtains
Amazon Basics Room Darkening Blackout
1 source$21.59as of Oct 19

The Amazon Basics Room Darkening Blackout is the value champion and Reviewed.com's Editor's Choice for blackout curtains, after it blocked light better than every other panel they tested. Triple-weave 240 GSM polyester with a back coating earns a 100% blackout rating, and you get thermal insulation and noise reduction for around $35. It is plain, and stock can be spotty. On pure light-blocking per dollar, it is the best buy on this list.

Strengths
  • — Reviewed.com's Editor's Choice for best blackout curtains, doing 'an excellent job of blocking out unwanted light'
  • — Metal grommets slide easily on standard or decorative rods and look modern
  • — Among the cheapest options here, with Velcro tie-backs included
Watch-outs
  • — As with any panel, edge gaps can leak light without a wraparound rod
$21.59 · Check Price on AmazonFull review →
Sun Zero Oslo Theater Grade Extreme 100% Blackout Rod Pocket Curtain Panel
Ranked #3 in Best Blackout Curtains
Sun Zero Oslo Theater Grade Extreme 100% Blackout Rod Pocket Curtain Panel
2 sourcesall derived$14.29as of Oct 19

The Sun Zero Oslo Theater Grade Extreme is a polyester rod-pocket blackout panel sold singly, 52 inches wide in 63, 84 or 95-inch lengths. Bob Vila's tester named it the best bang for the buck, rating it 4.5 of 5 for effectiveness and 5 of 5 for value, and liked its heavy, velvety fabric. Reviewed tested three sets bought from different retailers and found they do a decent job blocking light, but its staff thought the shiny polyester looks cheap.

Strengths
  • — Bob Vila rated it 4.5 of 5 for effectiveness and found it performed well once installed
  • — Heavy fabric with a plush, velvety feel, per Bob Vila
  • — Rod-pocket header avoids light leaking through grommet holes, per Bob Vila
Watch-outs
  • — Heavier weight makes the panels harder to slide open and closed, per Bob Vila
  • — Reviewed's staff found the shiny polyester looks cheap
  • — Bob Vila found it a bit confusing to tell which pocketed end is the top
$14.29 · Check Price on AmazonFull review →

Derived means the reviewer published no score, so one was inferred from their written verdict. Everything else is a number the publisher printed. How we rank.

How they stack up

Amazon Basics Room Darkening Blackout

Reviewed.com ranked it ahead of the NICETOWN Contemporary Lined Blackout for outright light blocking, though NICETOWN won CNN's flashlight test. It uses the same triple-weave approach as the NICETOWN Contemporary Lined Blackout and undercuts the Eclipse Fresno on price.

Sun Zero Oslo Theater Grade Extreme 100% Blackout Rod Pocket Curtain Panel

In Reviewed's lab tests the Amazon Basics Room Darkening Blackout blocked more light than every other curtain tested, the Oslo included. Like the Eclipse Fresno it hangs from a rod pocket rather than the grommets on the NICETOWN Contemporary Lined Blackout and Amazon Basics Room Darkening Blackout.

Specs side-by-side

SpecAmazon Basics Room Darkening BlackoutSun Zero Oslo Theater Grade Extreme 100% Blackout Rod Pocket Curtain Panel
FabricTriple-weave 240 GSM polyester—
Light Blocking100% (room darkening, back-coated)Up to 100 percent (maker claim, per Bob Vila)
HeaderMetal grommets—
Sizes52 x 84 in, 2 panels—
ThermalInsulating barrier—
NoiseNoise-reducing—
Extras2 Velcro tie-backs—
CareMachine washable—
MaterialPolyesterPolyester
Dimensions84"L x 52"W95"L x 52"W
Width—52 inches (single panel)
Lengths—63, 84 or 95 inches
Hanging Style—Rod pocket (rod up to 1.5 inches)
Machine Washable—Yes (per Reviewed)
Colorways—10+
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